Field of the Invention
Novel conduits, such as guide catheters and catheter introducer sheaths, for use in interventional procedures, particularly introducer sheaths adapted for use with multiple guidewires.
Description of Related Art
It is often desirable to use multiple guidewires in various endovascular procedures. For example when deploying stent graft aneurismal repair devices within branched vasculature, a first guidewire would be used to access the main artery while second and/or third guidewires would access the side branched arteries. Stent grafts with multiple guidewire ports would then be advanced along the respective guidewires and deployed at the desired sites. A common problem associated with the use of multiple guidewires is the “crossing” or entanglement of the guidewires in the vasculature proximal to the treatment site. Crossed and entangled guidewires prohibit or severely restrict the ability to advance a device with multiple guidewire ports to the treatment site. An introducer catheter or sheath is often employed to protect the vasculature from possible damage due to the advancement of the guidewires, catheters and subsequent devices but such use does not eliminate the occurrence of crossed guidewires. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,884,258 (to Vardi et al.) for a disclosure of problematic crossed guidewires.